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ALMS/Grand-Am Merger: Reactions positive from within the sport

September 4, 2012

On Wednesday it was announced that ALMS would be merging with Grand-Am. Several of racing's biggest names shared their thoughts on the merger. Photo by GRAND-AM

With Wednesday’s confirmation that the American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am will merge and launch a combined U.S.-based sports-car racing series in 2014, responses from those within the motorsports community are overwhelmingly positive. Here’s what they are saying on the heels of the announcement made in Daytona Beach, Fla.:

Bobby Rahal, team co-owner with David Letterman and Michael Lanigan of BMW Team RLL, which competes in the American Le Mans Series’ GT class:

“As we’ve seen in IndyCar racing, this is nothing but great news for the sport, for the teams and for the fans. It’s a huge win for racing in general and sports-car racing in particular. I commend Jim France and Don Panoz for finding a way to come together and doing what is best for the sport. I think that with the combined schedules, the might of ISC’s marketing and the types of circuits we can focus on, it couldn’t be any better for a series. I’m very, very enthused and excited about it and looking forward to seeing it all come together.”

Jamie Allison, director of Ford Racing:

“This is an epic moment for sports-car racing in America. The opportunity to take the best of ALMS and Grand-Am and create a strong, unified professional road-racing series is what the fans have wanted, the teams have wanted, and the manufacturers have wanted for many years. We at Ford congratulate the Grand-Am and ALMS leadership and all those involved in helping put the merger together for the good of the sport.

“While we await further details on the homologations and rules for the individual classes, the new, unified approach has a lot of appeal to Ford due to the potential international alignment. We are a global auto manufacturer, and will look for this new series to align well with our global OneFord platform of vehicles and technologies. As a manufacturer and stakeholder in the sport overall, we look forward to working with the new unified management team to frame our involvement going forward.”

Scott Sharp, driver and owner of Extreme Speed Motorsports, which competes in both the American Le Mans Series’ and Rolex Sports Car Series’ GT classes:

“I’m very excited about the potential merger of ALMS and Grand-Am. I think bringing together the potential that both series have when it comes to TV package, scheduling, competitors and tracks, it could be huge. Hopefully, it will turn out that way.

“I think sports-car racing needs to become more viable. It has to become more attractive to advertisers and sponsors. This potential merger has to be able to increase that opportunity by putting all fronts together pointing in the same direction. This could be a huge boost for sports cars and probably the biggest step forward in several decades.

“From our sponsor Tequila Patrón’s perspective, this can only be a huge benefit. If we can go to better tracks with bigger audiences and a more solid television package, it has to be something that Patrón will appreciate from all avenues. That is certainly the hope.”

Zak Brown, founder and CEO of JMI, a leading motorsports marketing agency:

“This is a positive move for American sports-car racing. The schedule will immediately see an upgrade with the additions of Sebring, Long Beach and Road Atlanta, while the starting grids will also be the best in recent memory.

“With exact classes still undefined, manufacturers can expect a continuation of prototype and GT classes, which provides more opportunities at various levels of the series.

“With [Grand-Am owner] NASCAR being involved, the new series will experience an increase in stability and resources. Some will speculate that the potential for escalating budgets may be a concern, but I don’t see that as an issue. NASCAR has done a sound job in the past managing competition budgets and this should be no different.

“The new series will be in a great position to land a new television package. Not only does the series combine ALMS and Grand-Am, it also combines their respective fan bases. It would not surprise me to see the series renew with the likes of ABC, ESPN2, Fox or NBC.

“With the partnership hitting the track in 2014, there’s sufficient time to work through all the details to properly prepare teams and to educate current and potential sponsors on the benefits available to them through the new series.”

Rob Dyson, team principal of Dyson Racing, which competes in the American Le Mans Series’ prototype ranks:

“The history of sports-car racing in America has centered around sophisticated performance and innovation. Dyson Racing has raced top-line prototypes for three decades, and the variety of technology and competitors during that period has defined the sport and produced the memories that sustain its growth today and propel its future.

“We anticipate that this historic merger will produce sports-car racing that embraces the diversity that has made our racing a fan favorite, with world-wide legitimacy. There are currently [12] auto and engine manufactures, plus four tire manufactures, in our series. We expect the newly combined series will produce an even more enhanced arena of value for manufacturers and privateers alike.”

Chris Dyson, Dyson Racing vice president and sporting director:

“The best mergers strengthen. This combination has the potential to be a significant milepost in the history of sports-car racing and to foster a period reminiscent of our sport’s glory days. The addition of Grand-Am’s historic tracks to [the American Le Mans Series’] existing set of iconic tracks will only reinforce the appeal to fans, competitors and manufacturers.

“We are optimistic that with a continued emphasis on technical advancement, variety, high levels of on-track performance, close competition and a welcoming paddock atmosphere, unified sports-car racing in North America is about to enter a new era—one of long-term strength. There are always challenges involved with change, but Dyson Racing will continue to work with all in our sport to ensure the strongest possible future.”